


Heading Home

by Daevani



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-22 00:01:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7410406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daevani/pseuds/Daevani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place two months after Shadowhunters Season one finale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heading Home

“Alec?”  
“What?” Alec was suddenly torn from his thoughts, aware that everybody was looking at him expectantly, awaiting an answer to the question that had just been asked. He was bent over the long table in the conference room of the institute that was covered with maps, photos and newspaper articles. Magnus was leaning back in a chair next to him while Izzy and Simon sat in chairs on the other side of the table and Clary had stopped pacing up and down the room to look at Alec.  
“I asked if you noticed any change in the last days” Izzy said, her voice tired and her eyes worried.  
“No, I told you. Our parabatai bond is still weak, all I know is that he’s alive. That’s all.” Alec knew he sounded impatient and that the knowledge that Jace was alive was all they had, but he was getting more and more frustrated with the situation. They had all been up for more than two days, following a promising lead, several warlocks had been approached to summon a greater demon, but like so many times before, they had lost the trace.  
It had been two months since Jace had disappeared through the portal with Valentine. Two months of following leads, talking to informants and strategizing battle. Valentine’s ship was nearly impossible to locate, being constantly on the move and surrounded by water which prevented tracking. The only thing that was certain was that Valentine was continuously enlarging his army by recruiting, they had heard it from several sources. 

 

Alec had got lost in thought about a day of running through a forest two or three years ago. As part of their training they had been placed alone somewhere in the forest, the instruction being to cross the forest as fast as they could, eliminating demons on the way. But his first instinct had been to find Jace. He remembered how strong their parabatai bond had been at that time. By closing his eyes and concentrating he had been able to smell, feel and sometimes even see little shreds of what Jace sensed. Now their bond was like a ghost, barely there, every time Alec tried to identify a glimpse of it, it seemed to disappear. By now Alec was scared that the bond wasn’t even there anymore, that it was just an illusion or like phantom pain, because he was so used to feeling it that he couldn’t even imagine not to have it. He felt desperation and hopelessness rising up inside of him, squeezing his stomach, deflating his lungs and burning in his throat.

 

“OK, we won’t find him tonight. I suggest we all go home and get a good night of sleep.” Magnus broke the tension that had been built over the past minutes by standing up and clapping in his hands.  
Home. In the past weeks that place had shifted from his small room next to Jace’s in the institute to Magnus’ elegant and spacious flat. The time he didn’t spent in the field searching for Jace or in the conference room he spent there. He felt guilty for leaving Izzy alone but she was as restless as he was and knew she could always stay at Magnus’ place.   
“Let’s go” Magnus said, gently touching Alec’s arm and smiling at him tiredly. Alec realized that the others had already left the room. “You go ahead, I’ll go for a quick rum” Alec smiled crookedly. After looking at him for a moment longer Magnus turned and left, his usually elegant, dance-like movements seemed heavy and his hair, black without any colors in it just hung down one side of his face. Magnus had been there the whole time, whenever Alec needed him for tracking spells, his contacts to the Downworld or simply to comfort him. He never complained, no matter if it was Izzy yelling at them and throwing around things after another day of wasteful searching, or Alec closing himself off, going on quick runs that lasted for hours in the middle of the night. Magnus was there, patient, soothing and confident, but the stress of the last weeks had taken its toll on the warlock.  
“Wait” Alec ran after him and when he reached Magnus he closed his arms around the smaller man. “Thank you” he whispered and a few moments later: “Let’s go home”


End file.
